with another local news update. >> hopefully no air guitar performances. good morning. breaking news. jerry sandusky, found guilty on 45 counts of child sexual abuse. >> who would believe a kid? and the answer to that question is, we here in bellefonte, pennsylvania, would believe a kid. >> and the jury's verdict means the former penn state football coach will likely die in prison. this morning, one of the jurors who helped convict him speaks out in a live, exclusive interview. too hot to handle. more than 3,000 homes in utah and colorado are evacuated, as high winds push massive flames toward a residential area. and a nearby explosives factory. and the kindness of

strangers. people all over, donating money to a fund, aimed at providing a bullied bus monitor with a vacation and retirement. you won't believe what the total is up to today, saturday, june you won't believe what the total is up to today, saturday, june 23rd, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. jurors in the jerry sandusky case deliberated less than two days. last night they came back with a resounding verdict, guilty. 45 times. >> 45 times of child sex abuse charges. he was acquitted on three charges. even if he receives the minimum sentence on every count, this means the 68-year-old sandusky will most certainly spend the rest of his life behind bars.

michael iizikopf. >> reporter: the jury foreman began to click off, read off the jury verdicts. guilty of involuntary deevant sexual assault, guilty of voluntary sexual intercourse, gui guilty of corruption of minors. sandusky barely moved, intently watched the jurors, his hand in his pocket. the prosecutor moved to remand sandusky to custody, revoke his bail. the judge granted the motion and he was escorted out of this courtroom moments later, handcuffed, led off to jail a dazed look in his eye. outside the courtroom, there were cheers from a crowd that had gathered here and really interesting comments from

attorney linda kelly, whose office conducted a three-year investigation, which led to his conviction. and joe ammendola. the powerful message attorney kelly believes this verdict sends. here it is. >> we have to continue to focus on child sexual abuse and to shine a bright light in those dark, dark places where the jerry sanduskys of the world lurk. >> ised the analogy that we were attempting to climb mt. everest from the bottom of the mountain. well, obviously, we didn't make it. it was the expected outcome, because of the overwhelming amount of evidence against jerry sandusky. >> reporter: now, sandusky's sentencing is -- won't take place for another 90 days, but as you mentioned, lester, if you look at that verdict sheet and the sentences for all of those -- all those counts, it's

almost certain that he's going to spend the rest of his life in jail. you add them up, they add up to well over 100 years in jail and a prosecution source told me last night we're going to ask for the maximum. and given the charges here and the powerful testimony during the trial, it's almost certain that the judge is going to grant, if not the maximum, enough to keep jerry sandusky behind bars for the rest of his life. >> michael isikof, thank you. former assistant coach mike mcqueary, who witnessed one encounter between sandusky and a young boy. beth karas is a correspondent for trutv and is at the courthouse this morning. good morning, beth. >> reporter: good morning, lester. >> i want to ask you about a sound bite from joe amendola,

this was the expected outcome because of the overwhelming evidence against jerry sandusky. that's a surprise statement from a defense attorney but is he right? >> reporter: he is right. if it was just one statement or just the unidentified victim that mike mcqueary saw, it might have been a much easier road for them but all of these victims, each one corroborating the other, speaking of the same grooming over the course of years and the sexual assault over years for some of them, the case built, one by one. and there are strength in numbers. it seems nearly insurmountable. >> there was a shock value of seeing alleged victim after victim there. the early indication is that the jurors really honed in on the testimony of mike mcqueary. his was a story we all heard very early in this case, of what he saw in that shower at the gym. why was he so key to this case? >> reporter: well, because what he saw involved a prepubescent

boy that has never been identified, never been found. charges brought when you don't know the victim. series of counts brought on behalf of this person known as victim number two. the most serious count as far as what mike mcqueary saw. if the jurors were going to convict sandusky, basically, of child rape, then they wanted to hear from the victim. they didn't hear from the victim hear. and mike mcqueary said very unequivocally, i know what i saw, but i didn't actually see penetration. that explains that one acquittal. but there were eight other similar penalties. each o >> still at the end of the day, did each story support the other in lending credibility to the testimony of the witnesses? >> reporter: yes. yes. you don't have physical evidence in every case. sometimes it is he said, she

said. here, he said, he said. you have to weigh the credibility of the witnesses. here, there was krcorroboration though. some of these kids kept letters, kept gifts that sandusky gave them and the jurors saw photographs of them. so, that was corroboration. the janitor who saw something going on with victim number eight is corroboration that something was going on and each one of them corroborates the other. even though there's no physical evidence, which is the reason why it was a fast trial, it is not unusual in cases like this. >> beth, i've got to ask you, in the courtroom every day, the jurors clearly were, this is difficult testimony to listen to. what was it like to be in there and day after day to hear these lurid details? >> reporter: i just have to tell you on a personal note, i'm a pretty seasoned court watcher, right, having tried cases for eight years, been a reporter for another 18. i've seen a lot. and this really moved me. and when it comes to people -- especially vulnerable children. i know they're young adults now,

but they were going back in time when they were recounting what happened to them. you could go back in time with them and feel it. i could feel it, like when number nine testified. he was the last of the accusers who was repeatedly raped over a course of years and his mother didn't believe him. he was the one who would throw his underwear away because he couldn't go home with what was in the underwear, he was bleeding. and it broke my heart. i'm sure everyone else's in the courtroom. as seasoned as we get, as jaded as we get, it doesn't get easier. >> very, very hard to follow. beth karas, appreciate it. now here's savannah. the attorney for victim number four, and mike bonnie represents victim number one. gentlemen, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> ben, i'll start with you. if these jurors said anything last night, it was loud and clear. we believe you, to your clients. how did your client react, ben, when he heard the news of this? >> i think he was relieved. if i had to sum it up in one word, i would say he felt

vindicated. he has been living with this shame and guilt for several years. and this was finally an opportunity for him to confront his abuser, for a neutral jury to hear the facts and to render the appropriate decision. >> michael, your client is known as victim number one. that is because he was the person who came forward first. he started all of this. how does he feel, knowing that his courage in coming forward has led to this flood of allegations and now jerry sandusky facing prison for the rest of his life? >> well, rightfully so, he is proud of himself. he is -- not to mention elated at seeing justice served against this monster. he does feel a sense of pride. he's 18 years old. and he was much younger than that when he came forward. and it took a tremendous amount of courage for him to do so and to know that he was instrumental -- in fact, key in unraveling all that has

transpired. it gives him a tremendous sense of pride, as it should. >> ben, your client obviously went through the unimaginable, as every accuser who came in and testified did, but he suffered some of the most prolonged and serious abuse we heard in this case. how difficult was it for him to come into court and stand there in front of jerry sandusky and tell that story? >> i think it was the most difficult thing he has ever had to do. he had to look the man, who he -- for all intents and purposes -- viewed as a surrogate father and look him in the eyes and tell 12 jurors that this man was responsible for essentially raping him and completely taking advantage of him and manipulating him for five years of his life. >> i ask you, michael -- i wonder what your client wants from jerry sandusky. i'm sure they both want to see him spend the rest of his life in prison. do they want some kind of acknowledgement? would they want an apology?

do they want an admission and do they expect to get one? >> you know, i spoke with my client last night about this. he mentioned nothing about an apology. i don't think he expects that that man is capable of that level of humanity at this point. i think that he is feeling, as ben so well put, vindicated. he feels vindicated that the justice system worked and worked perfectly in this case. that's all that he asked for. >> very quickly, ben, both of you are preparing civil lawsuits. does this conviction make that task easier for your clients? >> you know, it's interesting. because financial motive was something that's been discussed at length by the defense in this case. and i can tell you, quite honestly, that's not even a discussion, filing a civil lawsuit, that i've had with my client. i think that goes to show that he wanted one thing out of this trial. and that was justice. this was not about money. it was about justice.

>> all right. ben andriozzi, we have to leave it there. thank you. >> thank you. we're going to turn to cnbc's courtney reagan over at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, lester and savannah. good morning, everyone. for the first time a chuven official in the united states has been convicted for a crime as to how he handled the sexual abuse allegations. keeping the public in the dark by telling the parishes that their priests were being removed for health reasons and then sending them on to different churches. egypt is on edge today as the country waits to hear the name of the first president egyptians have been free to choose. nbc's chief correspondent richard engel is live in cairo. good morning, richard. >> reporter: good morning. egyptians are still awaiting the official results of last

weekend's disputed presidential election. and it is fair to say that egypt and all of the middle east hangs in the balance. if the muslim brotherhood is declared the winner, egypt could fundamentally change and this country begins a new experiment in islamic democracy. it is not pro-american. it is actively anti-israel. under the muslim brotherhood, egypt could set a new tone for the entire middle east. if the other candidate wins, ahmed shafiq, president mubarak's last prime minister, some will say the old regime is simply reasserting itself and egypt's experiment in democracy, its democratic revolution, will have failed. >> richard, thank you. hundreds of homes in utah have been evacuated after a

fire, started by target shooters has exploded and grown to more than 4,000 acres. no injuries or structural damage have been reported. meantime, 700 more homes are being evacuated in northern colorado, where a wildfire has burned more than 69,000 acres. the high park fire, west of ft. collins, has destroyed at least 191 homes. the blaze is 60% contained, but one fire commander says it could be months before it's fully under control. and engine fires are forcing general motors to recall the chevy cruze, a popular model that's helped gm win back small car buyers. made in the u.s. from september 2010 to may of this year. the problem occurs when mainly oil is spilled on a hot plastic shield under the engine during changes and then not properly cleaned up. recall work is expected to start july 11th. it's free and should take about 30 minutes at local dealers.

police in new mexico routinely put out a bait car to catch criminals in the act because it works. but this time, the person caught on surveillance video stealing the car could barely see over the steering wheel. this is because he's only 11 years old. along for the joy ride, two 10-year-olds. the kids now face criminal prosecution in juvenile court. that's the news. now back to lester, savannah and bill. high price to pay for a quick ride. >> it's a theft charge and also you don't have your driver's license? >> yeah. >> at 11, i was really good on my big wheel at that point. >> i thought you were going to say at 11, i was a very good child. no, we know, bill. we know. >> come on. don't want to get my mom interviewed on here. >> looking over your map. looks like a lot of heat. >> east coast we've had two, three days of it. now the midwest is baking. salt lake city near 100. 102 in denver yesterday. let's top that today at 103.

we're going to see potentially even some all-time record highs in areas of kansas as we go into sunday. these temperatures are 20 degrees above average. the heat around dallas hasn't been exactly enjoyable either. 99 for you today in dallas. desert southwest continues to either.very hot summer. 99 for you today in dallas. the desert southwest continues to have a hot summer. 108 in phoenix. now here is a look at the weather outside your window. >> good saturday morning to you. i'm chuck bell. the sky is noticeably blewer today than the last few days. a haze layer out there. current temperatures in the 80s. today mostly sunny, noticeably that's a look at your saturday forecast. lester? >> bill, thanks. president obama is back at the white house this morning after wrapping up a week in which he and rival, mitt romney,

courted hispanic voters at a national conference in orlando. kristen well keker is at the wh house. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, lester. it's almost certain that president obama will win the hispanic vote, but the question is by how much. recently many within that community have complained about the high level of deportations under this administration and also the high unemployment rate within their community. nonetheless, president obama got a rousing welcome when he addressed the national association of latino elected and appointed officials. hispanic voters say they're reinvigorated after the administration's redirective that hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants that came to the u.s. as children could be allowed to remain in the country but that's a short-term measure. president obama hammered romney for opposing the dream act, essentially the permanent version of that recent directive. take a listen. >> in a speech, he said that when he makes a promise to you,

he'll keep it. well, he has promised to veto the dream act and we should take him at his word. >> reporter: now speaking to the same audience just a day earlier, mitt romney accused the president of playing politics with the immigration issue. >> some people have asked if i will let stand the president's executive order. the answer is that i will put in place my own long-term solution that will replace and supersede the president's temporary measure. >> reporter: romney said his immigration policy would include a path to citizenship for those who have served in the military. now, according to our latest nbc news/wall street journal poll, president obama leads mitt romney amongst hispanic voter, 61 to 27%. all the difference in those key battleground states. mitt romney is hosting some of

those donors. and some of those attending are on the short list for vp. lester? >> thank you, kristen. gas prices are on the way down. in some states, pretty quickly. it is welcomed relief as millions hit the road for summer vacation. here is nbc's miguel almaguer. >> for bob duchan, a commuter in los angeles, at last a break at the pump. >> it's great. i'm in sales. i drive all over the place. >> reporter: near atlanta, $3.18 feels even better. >> it's a lot lower. >> reporter: for 11 straight weeks, prices have dropped across the country. the national average down 49 cents from its high in february.

and some analysts believe it could land below $3 a gallon by fall. in south carolina, we found regular already at $2.79. the drop comes when prices typically spike. the start of summer. >> it is encouraging for the moment, especially when you're going in your pocket to pay for a better price. >> reporter: in just a month a gallon of regular is down 22 cents. now at $3.45. the drop most dramatic on the west coast where in washington, oregon and california, prices have fallen as much as 43 cents a gallon. >> refinery problems we've had earlier this year have been resolved and also people did lower their demand in response of the high prices. >> reporter: flight attendant casey rittner says now he can finally afford to drive this summer. >> now that prices are going down, it makes me reconsider driving to the mountains, going to the beach. >> reporter: a gallon of regular could drop another 75 cents. that would put the state average

at $3.25, a long way from the $5 a gallon prices we saw in february. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> once again, here's lester. >> savannah, thanks. if you thought the fashion police were a figument of your imagination, think again. they're all too real at the ascot races in england. >> reporter: it's a race so royal, it's called royal ascot, one of the biggest sports and social events of the year. >> hello. cheers. >> reporter: hats, some elegant, some not so. >> i love seeing what everybody else is wearing. i love the fashion and the glamour of it all. >> reporter: don't get too carried away. turns out some ladies have been getting too racy for the races. hems have gotten shorter,

cleavages are getting deeper. see those baskets? they're packing poshminas for those who need a little covering up. >> it has to have its rules. >> reporter: skirts no more than one inch above the knee. strapless dresses forbidden. straps at least one-inch wide. it's not just the ladies. you, sir, rent a jacket or go on home. [ bleep ]. >> we want people to dress in modern fashion. we want people to dress in vibrant colors. we want to see some imagination. >> reporter: getting it right again, carol middleton, kate's mom enjoying her second year at the royal enclosure. just don't forget the royal decorum, countess cheering on the queen's horse. some do come here to watch the races, especially the queen. >> it's no secret that the queen is a massive racing fan, owns a number of horses and always taken a strong interest. >> reporter: only here do you

see the queen at her most relaxed and most animated. friday, her horse won and she was presented the trophy by her husband. another memorable moments in her diamond jubilee year. >> that was duncan colestoni reporting. madonna badger, the woman who lost her parents and three children in a devastating house fire last christmas. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, an update on the boy who played the little darth vader in that super bowl ad. plus, money pouring in for that bullied bus monitor.

good morning. it's 7:26 on this saturday, june 23rd, 2012. i'm richard jordan. major storms last night mean some in our area are waking up in a dark home this morning. at one point close to 50,000 people were without power. right now the hardest hit are pepco customers, more than 23,000 are still without power. most of those outages are in prince george's county and the district both of which have about 10,000 customers in the dark. bge and dominion power are reporting 100 outages each. some of the heaviest damage

was in bladensburg, maryland, hubds were forced from their homes. rescue crews say roofs were blown right off some buildings and several garden apartments have been damaged as well. an emergency shelter is set up at porttown's elementary school. so far there

good saturday morning, everybody. i'm chuck bell. our skies are noticeably bluer than they've been the last couple of days. that's welcome news as cooler air comes in after all the storms we endured last evening. those storms are gone now. we'll be left with plenty of sunshine for most if not all of your peeked. today included sunny, a little cooler than the last few days.

a nice breeze out of the north. highs today and tomorrow up near 90 but without the intense humidity it will feel noticeably nicer. a shower chance coming up tomorrow int back now on this saturday morning, june 23rd, 2012. thanks to a great group of folks who decided to get up early and spend their saturday morning with us. we're going to head out and say hi in just a bit. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie, alongside lester holt. coming up, we'll have more of matt lauer's exclusive interview with madonna badger. >> the woman who lost her three daughters and her parents in a devastating fire on christmas. many stories have been written about what caused the fire and what happened in the moments since. this morning, badger offers her events of what she thinks happened. >> reporter:. a new study about how weight

and shape issues are impacting many older women. we'll ask a psychiatrist about what could be prompting these negative body images. plus, we first met max page when he starred as a mini darth vader in this popular super bowl ad. the force seems to be on his side these days as he recovers from open heart surgery. we'll get an update on how he's doing. >> all right. he's adorable, though. we wish him the best. >> he is a cutie. we'll begin with madonna badger. her story is so tragic, it's frankly hard to contemplate. she lost her three young daughters and her parents at a fire at her home christmas day. in an exclusive interview, badger sets the record straight with matt lauer about a story you only think you know. >> i remembered whenever i had heard stories like that, i always said, you know, how do those people live through that? there's no way. i could not live through that. i would have to kill myself if that happened to me, you know. >> but it did happen, to her. was there any time when you

opened the window, did you get a glimpse of any of your girls? >> no. no. it was so black. it was the blackest smoke i've ever seen. no. if i could have seen them, i would have gone in. i mean -- it's impossible to describe how it is that you can't go in and save your own children, but i couldn't get through that smoke. i couldn't. >> and yet even though her grief is still fresh, she wants to set the record straight about details of her story that everyone seems to have heard, but that may not be true. one of the stories that came out the day after this fire was that your girls had thought, wait a minute, santa's not going to be able to get down the chimney if there are ashes and embers in that chimney. we've got to get those out of there. is that what happened? >> i don't know where that came from. >> an important detail because, she says, the hearth was swept

six hours after the girls went to bed. by that time, she believed, the ashes were cold. >> you thought there was no danger? >> no danger. >> there's another story she doubts as well. what little evidence was found at the scene, it looks like your dad died trying to save one of your daughters. >> i don't know if that's all together true. i find it very hard to believe, based on the amount of damage and fire that went on in that part of the house. >> finally, and most personally, this. i did read a story that you had attempted suicide. i wonder if you can talk to me about that. >> i essentially had a handful of pills in my hand. >> did you come close to taking those pills? >> yeah, i came close enough that i went into an acute care unit for a week. >> why share these painful details? because she says she believes facing the truth, whatever it may be, is her only chance to

recover from what happened on that christmas day. the road to healing, is it something you can envision? can you envision the word healing being appropriate in your life at some point? >> i mean, getting well. i don't know, that sounds insane, but -- i don't know. i think healing is the only word you can use. >> we can tell you that lily-sarah-grace fund has been set up in the honor of the badger girls to fund the arts and under funded public schools. >> our hearts go out to madonna badger, of course. we want to get another check of the weather from bill karins. good morning. >> some areas of the country are getting a little bit of a relief. that includes all of the northeast. the middle of the country, we've talked about how hot and brutal it will be for you. those thunderstorms were pretty severe last night. and people are still waiting to get their electricitied back on.

from d.c. to boston, it will be humid but not nearly as hot as it's been the past couple of days. 60s, cloudy and cool all w summer? 60s and school. you've had a struggle this spring into the early summer with warm temperatures. here is a look at the weather outside your window. >> good morning. still about 30 or 40,000 people trying to get their power back on. the good news is the weather will be quiet this weekend. high temperatures today will reach up to the 80s for a time. but noticeably less humid courtesy of the northerly breeze. near 90 today and and remember, for your weekend plans, hour by hour forecast, for any event you're going to do, maybe even tennis, at weather.com. >> i'm glad you mentioned, tennis, bill. it's on. we're going to play tennis a

little bit later. >> oh, that's right, on the plaza. >> don't act like you haven't been practicing. >> did i tell you i got a college similcholarship? >> i'm sure you did. >> i'm trying to make her nervous. >> we are not nervous. courtney and i -- it is on. a step closer to ruling his empire again after undergoing open heart surgery. we'll find out how he's doing. eating disorders in older women are common. we'll look at some of the surprising results of this research. but first these messages. aflac pays cash.ld aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh!

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this morning on "today's" health, 15% of women over 50 suffer from an eating disorder, while others say shape or weight have a negative impact on their lives. dr. taylor, thank you for joining us. good morning. >> good morning. >> we usually think about young girls when we talk about eating disorders but we're talking about women over 50. does that surprise you? >> we do think about it, as younger women. as women, we carry our ideas about our body shape, about ourselves across our lifespan. >> obviously when we're talking about an anorexic, a young girl, classic diagnosis, a need for control. when you're talking about older women, what are the contributing

factors? >> if you look at the study, 56% of the women were either overweight or obese and eating disorders is not just about someone who is anorexic or thin but also about binge eating and overeating. and how obesity and weight loss impacts us. >> terribly dangerous to one's health. are there particular dangers when you're talking about women who are a bit older? >> especially with obesity. there's such a link with obesity, overeating and chronic disease, obesity and depression. the real take-home message is that we have to be aware of our eating patterns and how we feel and check in with your health care provider. there are lab tests and certainly medical complications that can occur from overeating as well as undereating. >> is there a different way of treating it when you're talking about older women? >> the treatment really is individual. start from the baseline. know your labs. know how overweight or underweight you are and check in with a medical health care provider. >> we may have covered this but

is there an eating disorder that is more common in older women than, say, younger women? is it the issue of obesity? >> obesity, overweight, binge eating, purging. the underline factors and the psychology behind why we may compensate with food. almost 7 0% of women say they think about dieting every day. 67% say it negatively impacts their lives. we have to think about underlying depression, maybe what we're not dealing with in terms of transition at 50. people's lives change, divorce, empty nesters. certainly a lot of people are stressed. and to deal with the underlying psychologist of why you may overeat or undereat so you can become healthier. >> that's one of the remarkable things about this study. it shows, actually, the huge numbers of women that carry these questions about body image and self perception right into adulthood. 36% said they spend at least half of their time in the last five years dieting. >> there's a lot of pressure. sw so what happens is you might have the ideal body type that may not be yours until there's

that conflict between how you really look versus how you think society should make you look. and i think the real take-home is that we have to lose this idea that how we look on the outside really is responsible for our happiness. and determine what it is that we really need to feel better about ourselves. >> and would you recommend for somebody who is struggling with these issues -- i mean, is it clear that you need to get some kind of mental health treatment as well? >> well, we have to assume that most women have some struggle. so, either to deal with it yourself -- if you need to talk to a counselor, talk to a counselor, talk to your health care provider. join a support group, educate yourself. we cannot define ourselves by how we look on the outside. it really has to start from the inside out. >> dr. janet taylor with interesting studies. good to get your perspective on it. thank you so much. he captured america's hearts by playing mini darth vader in a commercial. now the little boy behind the mask is recovering from heart surgery. how he's doing today, right after these messages. [ male announcer ] if you think any battery will do, consider this...

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remember the child actor who played darth vader in that popular super bowl commercial last year? these days 7-year-old max page is bravely fighting against heart problems that recently required his eighth surgical procedure. as mike taibbi reports, the force is with him. >> reporter: you've dwgot to lo this kid, and millions of people do, especially now that they follow his spirited battle against a congenital heart defect. last friday the stitches came out. >> i felt great. >> reporter: we met max page when his mini darth vader character discovered that the force really does work.

in the dream world of commercials anyway. but in the real world, even the most precocious kids are met by tough life. heart problems had him under the knife for two hours last week. remarkable kid. >> let's see who you are, max. can you take the mask off? hello, young man. >> you're a handsome guy. >> nice to see you. >> reporter: the commercial that jump-started his career was no fluke. he has since had recurring roles on "young and the restless." he knows his condition and knows what he has to do to gain the full recovery that's now possible, even if it's difficult. >> i don't think i can run around. that's the problem. i want to run around so bad, but i just can't. >> reporter: his parents know how lucky he is, and they are. >> we're parents that are taking their child home.

that's a huge blessing and we don't take a single second for granted. >> reporter: neither does max. he's planning to getting back to acting later in the summer. because his checkup, after what might be the last major surgery he'll ever need, went just fine, leaving him a force to be reckoned with. for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> it's a classic. we're glad he's doing well now. >> we're waiting for max the sequel, max strikes back. rooting for him, for sure. that taunted bus driver finally gets an apology and some donations, lots of them. they keep rolling in, in fact. we'll tell you all about it. first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back. you may have heard us mention tennis a while ago. this summer, i've got a rotating panel of guest hosts.

tamron and i played tether ball a few weeks ago and you wanted to play tennis when we go off the air later on. >> not only is it my favorite sport, it is the only sport i can play at all. i look forward, as does courtney, to beating you both. >> you all have played tennis before? >> this is the funny part. she claims its her favorite sport. you haven't done it in how many years? >> 18. >> i haven't touched a racket in nine or ten years. >> it's been about 15 years. >> thanks a lot. >> last week, i had a lesson. i'm feeling in fine form. >> i'm glad you're my partner. >> lester, this is all a rruse, this i don't know how to play tennis. >> so if we had a friendly wager -- >> up the ante. >> i played table tennis, ping pong. kind of the same thing, right? >> completely the same. just a little bigger of a racket. >> the crew tells me it's a

little slippery out there. >> how many excuses are we going to make here today? >> a lot. >> get ready. limbber up. still to come, serious news. penn state football coach jerry sandusky convicted. when we walk together, we are bigger than cancer. join the world's biggest fight for more birthdays, the american cancer society relay for life. find your community's event at relayforlife.org. cuban cajun raw seafood pizza parlor french fondue tex-mex fro-yo tapas puck chinese takeout taco truck free range chicken pancake stack baked alaska 5% cashback. signup for 5% cashback at restaurants through june. it pays to discover.

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good morning, everyone. it's 7:56 on this saturday june 23rd, 2012. i'm richard jordan. topping your news for today, friends and family will remember a popular d.c. business owner who was killed at her store. earlier this month, jun lin was found murdered in gracie's deli. the man accused of plotting to blow up the u.s. capital pleaded guilty to terror charges. federal authorities arrested amine el khalifi wearing what he

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zplrchlt last night's severe weather has cleared out. >> yes, indeed. everybody anxious to see an improving weather picture across the area after those storms late last evening. still left more than 20,000 people without power here on a saturday morning. temperatures already on their way up. we're at 77 here in washington, but cooler air is riding a breeze into the area. won't be quite as miserably hot to be outside today as it has been. cooler, yes, but still plenty warm. highs in the upper 80s to around 90, but compared to a 100-degree day yesterday, that won't be bad

at all. in the beaches today and on the mountains tomorrow. but a dry weekend here in the city rchl we've got another news update in 25 minutes. welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning. looking a little bit cooler. thanks for spending part of their weekend with us. here inside studio 1 a, i'm lester holt, along with savannah guthrie this morning. >> good to see you, lester. they're all smiling because they're happy it's not 100 degrees anymore. >> they got a little rain but things have cooled down out there. coming up, jerry sandusky convicted on 45 counts. >> he was led from the jail in

handcuffs, booked at the correctional facility in pennsylvania and the former penn state assistant football coach was convicted of 45 counts of sexually abusing ten boys over a period of 15 years. we will talk exclusively with a juror in the case about what it was like inside that deliberation room. then the video that outraged and upset millions of people who watched it. we're talking about karen klein, the bus monitor, who was verbally abused by a group of boys while she was working. response from the public has been overwhelming, donations have been pouring in, sending klein's vacation and retirement fund higher by the hour. people feel strongly about this woman. >> now it seems she'll be going on a nice vacation. >> long vacation, if she would like. breaking news, jerry sandusky, jury found him guilty of 45 of the 48 counts of child

sex abuse. the jury believed that he abused the boys over a 15-year period. it is likely he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. michael isikoff joins us from outside the courthouse and has much more. >> reporter: after hearing seven days of testimony and 17 1/2 hours of deliberation, the jury has spoken with a resounding verdict. jerry sandusky is cuffed and led off to jail, after being convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse. moments earlier, the courtroom was hushed, as sandusky, his lawyers and prosecutors, rose to listen to the jury's verdict. count one, guilty of involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, announced the jury foreman. guilty of indecent assault. guilty of corruption of minors and on it went. sandusky barely moved, staring at the jury. his left hand tucked in his

pocket. the verdict delivered, judge john cleland revoked the defendant's bail and sheriff's deputies summarily escorted him out of the courtroom. one of his victims watching the scene began sobbing. linda kelly, whose office conducted a three-year investigation, said she hoped the verdict would encourage sexual abuse victims everywhere to come forward. >> this case, i think, sends a message to all victims that they should report any instances of abuse and that if they do, we will listen to them. >> reporter: outside the courtroom, cheers and relief in a community that has been badly shaken by the sandusky scandal. there were jeers when sandusky lawyer joe amendola spoke and applause when he described what the verdict meant for his client. >> essentially, the sentence that jerry will receive will be a life sentence, just due to the length of it. >> reporter: later, although he vowed to appeal, amendola said his client had been prepared for

the worst. >> knew going in, because i said many times we were climbing up mt. everest from the bottom of the hill and this was a fight against overwhelming odds. >> reporter: the verdict showed jurors believed the accounts of all eight sexual abuse victims who testified in the two-week trial as well as that of former penn state quarterback mike mcqueary, who saw sandusky one night in penn state showers, his arms around a boy in an extremely sexual position. penn state said friday night no verdict can undo the pain and suffering caused by mr. sandusky, but we do hope this judgment helps the victims and their families along their path to healing. but the fallout for the school is far from over. kelly confirmed last night that her office is conducting an ongoing investigation that sources say includes university officials, who may have covered up sandusky's conduct. now, judge john cleland set sentencing for 90 days.

if you add up that jury verdict, it adds up to more than 100 years of prison time for jerry sandusky. the judge has considerable discretion in how he imposes that sentence, but one prosecution source told me last night, we'll ask for the maximum. lester? >> michael isikoff, thanks. joshua harper was a juror in the case and joins us exclusively this morning. good morning. thanks for being with us. >> good morning. >> you folks worked hard, 20 hours of deliberations, considering 48 individual counts. tell me, when you walked into that juror room, did you find most of your fellow jurors were on the same page as to how you would go forward? >> yes. yeah, we were on the same page. >> and were you rattled at all by the emotions of listening to the testimony? i know i found it difficult to read. you had to listen to it, day in and day out. >> i wasn't rateltled by the emotions. i think we were real focused on

the facts and determining credibility. >> determining credibility. you heard eight victims back to back. did any one stand out or was there a collective sense of the stories being the same that really sent you in the direction toward conviction? >> yeah. i would say both. i think there were, you know, a couple that i felt very credible. i mean, it's hard to judge character on the stand, because you don't know these kids. but most were, you know, very credible. i would say all. but then also the fact that we saw this corroborating story between all of them. it was very convincing. >> at one point earlier friday, in fact, the jury asked to rehear the testimony of mike mcqueary, the assistant coach who witnessed a molestation act in the shower. you didn't go so as to convict jerry sandusky of rape in that

case. what held you back on that and what did you think of mcqueary's testimony? how important was it? >> yeah. for me, it was very important. the reason we held back is because we did not have the evidence that that very first charge happened, because mcqueary did not see any actual penetration. and we were in agreement, you know, amongst all the jurors that because of that, we could not convict him of that first count. but i just kept going back in my mind. you know, why would mcqueary lie about this? and he was sure. and he made it very apparent that he saw something that was wrong and extremely sexual. >> was it hard to get to 48 convictions in this case? was there disagreement as to his guilt or innocence on any of these charges, at any point? >> yes. yes, there was.

and it was just that, you know, we looked at some inconsistencies, some of the testimony. and, you know, we wanted to reconcile those and make sure that that was -- you know, wouldn't discredit the testimony. so, we worked through those things systematically as a jury. we really worked together very well. and we were patient and we gave time. and i thought it was very good that certain jurors did express those misgivings that they had and the inconsistencies. we worked through those together to make sure that we were making the right decision. >> you folks -- >> and we -- >> i was going to say, you folks were sequestered during this. cut off from tv and the internet. when you went behind doors to start your deliberations, we learned that matt sandusky, jerry sandusky's son was prepared to take the stand and was abused by his father.

what did you think when you heard that last night? >> oh, that was just confirmation. i mean, we were all kind of basically told at the same time. we heard about it at the same time. and we were just looking at each other like we had suspected that, but we had no evidence of it. and it just solidified, you know, our decision. >> and before i let you go, i have to ask you, what were the feelings as you watched the sentence come down in open court and looked at jerry sandusky last night? >> that was just confirmation, again. you know, i looked at him during the reading of the verdict and just the look on his face. no real emotion. just kind of accepting, you know, because he knew it was true. >> well, josha harper -- >> more confirmation. >> thank you for getting up early with us.

it's been a week of tough days for you. thank you so much for being with us. we appreciate it. >> all right. thank you. here is savannah. >> all right. thank you, lester. beth karas is a former prosecutor and reporter for trutv. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. >> matt sandusky aeg alleges that his father abused him. we learned this week of another victim that has come forward and testified before a grand jury. what is the likelihood of future criminal prosecutions, even if jerry sandusky is in jail? >> reporter: i think this investigation is going to continue, savannah. you know, this case that just ended could come back on appeal. it could have to get retried. prosecutors will often continue their investigation even against a defendant who is serving life, who has a death sentence even in capital cases. so, this will continue. as we know, there's an investigation of the university. there are civil suits, probably many more civil suits to be filed.

this is probably just the beginning of these issues in court. >> i want to ask you about those civil suits. they have not been filed but we all know they will be filed. how does this criminal conviction affect the civil suit not just against jerry sandusky, but potentially against penn state and its officials? >> well, these convictions are a huge step in a civil suit. because then it's probably going to be a matter of damages when these victims, if they do file suit, allege wrongdoing. the burden of proof in a civil suit is so much lower than proof beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal case. the liability has been established. it would just be a matter of damages. i think there will be a lot of settlement talk. >> very few seconds left. beth, as a veteran lawyer and trial watcher, did you see anything that happened in the trial that made you think, boy, this is ripe for appeal, or do you think this conviction appears to be rock solid? >> reporter: the only issue, really -- well, i shouldn't say the only issue but something that did trouble me is that it

was pushed to trial so fast and the defense didn't even have time to read all the discovery, experts weren't available, couldn't prepare their reports in time, the jury consultant was unavailable. the judge pushed it. it looks like they wanted to get it over with before football season started. that's not a winnable issue on appeal. it's the judge's discretion. the defense did a good job with the time they had. >> beth karas, trutv, thank you for your perspective. appreciate it. 12 minutes past the hour. let's get a check of the other morning's top stories from cnbc's courtney reagan. >> good morning, lester. good morning, everyone. motorists across the country have good news this morning. cost of gas is heading down, just at the start of the driving summer season when prices usually spike. the national average is $3.45 a fw gallon and there are predictions that it could fall below $3 a gallon by october. wildfires are burning across seven western states today and forcing more people from their

homes. residents of at least 2,300 homes in northern utah have been evacuated after high winds kicked up a fire started by target shooters. meantime, 700 more homes are being evacuated in northern colorado. the high park fire west of ft. collins has destroyed at least 191 homes. this is the fifth day of protests in cairo's tahrir square, the symbol of egypt's revolution. people are protesting after the military stripped the next president of much of his authority. they won't release the result of last weekend's close presidential run-off before sunday. hosni mubarak's last prime minister and his opponent both claimed victory. winning her long-term fight to be part of the british equestrian olympic team, she

will follow in her parents' footsteps. the summer olympic games start july 27th on nbc. the winner of this year's ugliest dog contest is -- wait for it -- muggily. from the united kingdom. earning him the title over 28 other ugly dogs in the contest friday. an 8-year-old rescue dog. his owner gets $1,000. he earns a year's worth of dog cookies and photo shoots. i want to say he's so ugly but he's cute, but he's not really. >> why not win an extreme makeover or something? >> little waxing maybe. >> poor guy. >> little dogscaping perhaps. bill karins is out on the plaza with a check of our forecast. >> great weekend, everyone. high school band behind me, obviously, here. welcome to them. this could be the big weather story as we go through the tail of the weekend and into the beginning of next week.

this could easily be a tropical storm by the time we get to sunday night or monday. florida could be dealing with rain from time we get to sunday in it or monday. looks like florida could deal with rain from texas along the north gulf. that's a look at the national forecast. now a loob outside your window. >> a good saturday morning to you. i'm chuck bell. the weather has already improved dramatically. 78 now in annapolis. 68 in rochester. plenty of >> that's a look at your hot weekend forecast. savannah? >> bill, thanks. power of people. the support pouring in for that grandmother taunted on a school bus. that story right after these messages. "that didn't take long". let's break out behr ultra...

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support continues to roll in this morning for karen klein, the upstate new york school bus monitor taunted mercilessly on camera. the donations now top $600,000. the latest from nbc's michelle franzen. >> you don't have a family because they all killed themselves because they didn't want to be near you. >> reporter: karen klein, the school bus monitor who endured and tried to ignore threats from a fwroop of middle school students outside rochester, new york.

>> if i stabbed you in the stomach the knife would [ bleep ] go through you with butter because you're [ bleep ]. >> hearing from students again through letters of apology. >> i'm sorry i did that. i couldn't believe i was so mean and i will never do this to anyone again. >> reporter: also receiving letters from parents. >> i deeply apologize for what my son did. i wish there was some way i could make it up to you. >> reporter: she says it's a start. but in a phone interview, klein told tmz.com she doesn't accept the apology. >> uh, not really. i think they could be better than what they did. >> reporter: police say despite what they call a clear case of harassment, klein is refusing to press charges and still says the teens should be punished, but by school officials who are still investigating. >> i want to know why they had

to do that. why they don't respect elders. >> reporter: psychologists call it a disturbing twist on school bullying. >> that they're crossing the line not only in their cruelty level, but in what they're doing with an adult and showing no respect for that. and no empathy when that adult is distressed. >> reporter: meanwhile, this grandmother of eight is also overwhelmed with the kindness of strangers. from letters of support. >> i saw what those kids did to you and it nearly had me in tears. >> reporter: to a staggering pledge of donations, designed to send klein and her family on vacation. that, along with an anti-bullying rally held outside the school last night. the goal behind it all? to show that compassion can trump cruelty. for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. there's more ahead this morning. an oil tycoon vanishes at sea. now there are new revelations about his erratic and sometimes disturbing behavior.

we'll tell you more about it. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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good morning. it is 8:26 on this saturday, june 23rd, 2012. i'm angie goff. topping your news for today, four children are recovering this morning from a terrifying accident in prince george's county. an accident forced an suv to drive straight into a front yard where kids were playing in the kiddie pool. police say the injured children ranged from 4 to 10 years old. one child had to be revived on the way to the hospital. we're told the driver of the toyota will be cited in the crash. drivers, a traffic alert for this weekend. construction is now going on right now near the wilson bridge. crews closed the through lanes of the outer loop in alexandria. all traffic between van doren

street and telegraph road will have to use one local lane. to avoid this mess, take 395 to the freeway tore inner loop of the freeway to the mixing bowl. you should also expect delay on the metro as crews are working on three lines this weekend. the only closure is on the orange line where buses will replace trains between east and west falls church. there will be single tracking on the red and blue line. work should be done by the monday morning rush. meteorologist chuck bell has a look at the forecast.

we had some pretty nasty weather yesterday. but today a whole different story. chuck bell is standing by with the latest. >> your weekend is here and after a week filled with heat, haze and humidity misery, we now have a break in the action just in time for your weekend. current temperatures with bright sunshine. we're now at 77 here in town. 76 at solomon's island, 70 at hagerstown. our forecast for today, plenty of sunshine. cooler and less humid than it's been, but still temperatures up near 90 for a high today and tomorrow as well. a little chance of a shower at the beaches today but if you're

in and around town this weekend no need to wore be the rain drops. >> i like it, chuck, thanks. a full we are back now on a saturday morning, june 23rd, 2012. this is the first official weekend of summer. and we're actually expect iing some nice temperatures out there in new york city. i'm savannah guthrie along with lester holt. at this time this past week it already felt like 90 degrees. just ahead, we'll have the mysterious case of the missing millionaire. >> disappearing this week. his empty boat vanished mysteriously, washed ashore without him. now investigators are trying to find out what went wrong. mesmerized by the late-night

finance equipment infomercials? >> pull out the credit card. 1-800 whatever it is. >> people buy these things but does do they really work? plus, thinking of selling your home? barbara corcoran, real estate adviser, is now putting her home on the market. we'll find out if she follows her own advice. we'll find out how exactly she plans to market that home. all right. later, it is summer saturday. around here, that's a tradition. i get to pick an event. we're going to play tennis, lester. >> tennis. >> are you ready? >> they set up an entire tennis court out here because you want to play tennis. >> it's amazing, really. let me tell you, so have i. >> i watched the u.s. open, that's about the closest i get to a tennis tournament. >> you lose 5 burn 500 calories watching. >> just watching. bill karins is standing by

with the weather. >> savannah was coming, i asked for a duveng tank. i guess they didn't have enough time to get that done. maybe next time. lauren, your sign says jambo. what does that mean? can you explain it to everyone? >> it means hello in swahili. >> very cute. very original. you're 7, right? >> yep. >> record heat in colorado. kansas down into texas, cool patte pattern. we could be dealing with a tropical storm. this would be debbie as we go throughout the possible sunday maybe into monday timeframe. all eyes are on what coulds on in the gulf, a storm system threatening our coast. now here's a look at the weather

outside your window. >> good morning, everybody. your weekend has finally arrived. mother nature giving us a break behind the thunderstorms last night we bright sunshine to get your weekend started. it is already a warm one. closing in on 80 degrees in town with the sunshine. still back in the low 70s with the high are spots back in the north and west. here's your saturday planner. not as hot today but still plenty warm. i also want to bring these pictures to you. we just got this video in. this is from south dakota. we only had one tornado reported in the entire country yesterday. and these storm chasers found it. it was a very powerful storm, out in the open plains, where we like it. didn't do any damage, as far as injuries or fatalities or anything. but amazing pictures coming from the plains of south dakota. what a job that is, chasing the tornadoes during the late summer afternoon. back to you, savannah. >> bill, thank you. now to florida, where authorities are investigating the mystery of the missing millionaire.

the businessman and philanthropist disappeared earlier this week. the story now from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: guma agiar boarding his boat alone. the next morning the vessel washed ashore with its lights on and the engine running, but he was gone. >> the fact that the gentleman would get on to his boat and decide to go out into such treacherous seas when there was such inclement weather and such strong rip tide currents, it doesn't make sense to us. >> reporter: he seems to have everything. >> the merits of being able to spearhead a project, to share this with other people. >> reporter: after making millions in the oil industry, the brazilian-born businessman, seen here on youtube, was heavily involved in israeli charity, even posing with former presidential candidate rick perry in jerusalem. he also invested in professional soccer and basketball teams

there. now, investigators are trying to figure out what went wrong. this towing company pulled his boat in and noticed damage to a rod binding the two injuries. >> when a rod does break there's a possibility that the vessel will change direction pretty abruptly. and if that happens, you know, you could lose balance, fall overboard. >> reporter: agiar has had several run-ins with the law, including arrests for drug possessions but also questions were raised about his mental health. his uncle alleged he misspent millions of dollars from a family foundation because he was convinced he was the messiah. a year later, he was forcibly admitted to an israeli psychiatric hospital. his mother filed a petition, saying her son suffers from severe bipolar disorder. >> it's perfectly likely that somebody could be quite successful in business and at

other times become quite depressed to the point that they could become suicidal. but other times they're riding quite high when they're manic, feeling they can do things above and beyond what most normal people can do. >> reporter: when his loved ones stopped by his home to comfort his wife and kids, they're left to wonder how a philanthropist worth millions vanished overnight. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. coming up next, real estate goo guru barbara corcoran puts her own house up for sale. does she follow her own advice on staging and pricing? we'll ask her when we come back. i used to only wear sun protection on a beach day. now, i wear it every day. because damaging uv rays are everywhere

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this morning on "today's" open house, turning the table. barbara corcoran often joins us to share her tips and advice for home buyers and sellers. she is now putting her home on the market and gave us a preview of her personal selling strategies and answers the question, does barbara follow her own advice? ♪ come on to my house >> hi. welcome to my home. come on inside. my house is in pawling, new york, an hour and a half from new york city. i lived here for 15 1/2 years.

that's what makes the parting so sad. it represents my kids, my garden. it's hard to say good-bye to something. this is my exclusive broker for the sale of my property here in pawling. i have to say it's a little weird, referencing you as the expert when i'm always the expert. i don't like this spot, you know. >> it's really difficult. when they go out to buy, they have their buyer hat on. when they come back to sell a house they have their seller hat on and they don't understand the different roles. >> oh, very, very different. you know, it's very hard to put money into a house when what you're trying to do is get money out. the first thing i did was have the home inspected. hard pill to swallow. you find out everything wrong with your cream puff. >> the cost is minimum. it's going to be a couple hundred bucks, but something

that should be fixed. >> let me tell you something, for every dollar i spent improving the house, if i hadn't done it, they would have wanted $3 off the price. logically, i knew i had to fix everything wrong with the house. so i took a deep breath and did it and opened my wallet. i had one big choice to make on this kitchen. i could either replace everything in it. this is 35 years old. that would have set me back $35,000. or do the cheap man's version, which is what i'm doing. painting all the cabinets white. already done. sanding the butcher block counter to make it look fresh and, of course, replacing the knobs. that's only $800. i love blue. this is a blue room, just the perfect shade. but not anymore. it's painted white. the idea of the living room is to make it look as big as possible. bigger is better. bathroom, i did not want to replace this old-fashioned

jacuzzi. too expensive. the whole bathroom would have cost me about $8,000 to $10,000 to replace. i got a new toilet seat, new white towels, nice and fresh. new cotton bowl and replaced the hinges and the handles. big deal. that will set me back maybe $600. not bad. the front door is a modest door. there's nothing fancy about this house. but i replaced the mat, got a potted bush, trimmed back the hedges to let a little light in and put a fresh coat of paint. hey, it's not fancy, but it's welcoming. the fence that surrounded my hot tub was totally rotten and i was so upset when i got a bid to replace it for $9,000. but it had to be here. so, instead, i shored up the foundations, replaced some of these wooden balls for a total cost of $900. what a difference a coat of paint makes. i replaced all the bedding in

this house twochlt reasons for doing it. one, it gives every bedroom a facelift. looks fresh. but also it psychologically allows you to move on, once you see somebody else's bedding on your bed, you're ready to move out. bonus. i really hope whoever buys the house loves my secret garden. my heart and soul is buried here. endless hours, moving every plant as though it was a piece of furniture. i hope a gardener buys the house. thank you for coming to my home. make me an offer. make it a high one. >> joining me now in studio is "today's" real estate contributor barbara corcoran. good morning. great house, by the way. >> thank you. i like it, too. >> i want to talk about price. you've sat here many times talking about maybe you want to lower the price to make it competitive and people get too emotionally attached. how difficult was it for you to price this house? >> i am emotionally attached to the house. it is difficult. i did my hard research and

realized the house was worth roughly 600, maybe a little more. i intentionally underpriced it to 545. i'm hoping somebody will fall in love with it. two or three people and i might get an auction. >> and bring in perhaps a little more traffic? >> i hope so. with more traffic you always get more money. >> i want to talk about the aesthetic things. you say you had to fix things off. there's a trade-off here. how much do you put in? how much do you get back? those white cotton balls were very expensive. >> don't make fun now. >> how did you decide what had to be replaced or spruced up? >> i let my wallet be my guide. i'm pretty cheap, if i must say so. i tried to think what aesthetically, was going to give me the biggest bang for the buck. i just did the surface changes that would look pretty and get somebody to fall in love. >> going through this process, what's the biggest piece of advice for other homeowners trying to do the same thing? >> having to walk in these shoes is very different. the most important thing is to realizes that the bubble did

burst, that the numbers i was quoted six years ago no longer exist, to wrap my mind and arms around a cheap price and to move on. moving on is so hard. but i'm going to burn that mortgage in that fireplace and i'm going to invite all my friends that help me make my memories and i'm going to celebrate the departure. i can't wait to see who moves in. >> a tip to the potential buyer, she's taking that doormat, by the way. >> i am, right after the open house tomorrow. i don't care. >> barbara corcoran, good luck. >> thank you, lester. we'll be back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's" consumer, those as-seen-on-tv fitness products, we've all seen those commercials. they promise firm bodies and many of us have been enticed to buy. our consumer correspondent janice lieberman takes a closer look at some of those products.

that's why we have our workoutoworkout out fits on. >> we do. you did your tennis. we decided to give us the popular ones, as you've seen on tv, a real run for their money. we've all been enticed by those late-night infomercials. >> are you ready to have sizzling hot abs? >> now you can steal away the pounds. >> they might have even persuaded you to buy. among the most popular, fitness products. but before they show up on late-night tv, a lot of products are showcased at the expo in san diego. >> we did $6.2 billion in immediate wra purchase last year and were worth collectively $300 billion. >> wow! so people like to watch infomercials. >> people like to watch but more importantly, people like to buy infomercial products.

>> strutting his stuff. >> look at this. i can do a lot of fun exercises to really work everything. and people ask me, does it work? >> reporter: yeah, does it work? >> i'll show you. >> reporter: whoo, baby! with abs like that, i absolutely had to give it a try. this elliptical bike was a blast as well. not so easy, but it's fun. whoo! we were so intrigued by these products we decided to try some of them in new york. we enlisted professional trainers from chelsea pierce sports center in new york city to give them a real workout. >> you need to read the instructions completely. sound good? >> sounds great. >> reporter: a week later, they were ready to give us their verdict on each product. on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest score -- >> get the sexy abs you've always wanted. >> reporter: the torso ball for $80. what do you give it?

>> one of my favorites. >> i thought it was a very effective way to get a positive workout. >> it does what it says it's going to do. >> reporter: then the wave. >> we give this a five. total body workout. >> combine it with dumbbells? >> yes. great for balance for our senior population. >> reporter: the third product they checked out trims your arms and shapes your shoulders at the same time. >> reporter: the shame weight for $15. what do you think? >> two for 15, we would give it a three. it's a little limiting, one arm. >> puts in the gym as a hard core boxer, i don't know. i can't see using the shake weight. >> the shaking and jie ration of the weight actually worked the muscles and tone and sculpt. >> reporter: then the ab doer twist. >> transform from flabby to fabulous. >> reporter: for $139. >> we're giving it a two. yep. pretty expensive compared to

other ab exercise equipment. >> better than sitting on the couch. not a great abdominal workout. >> imagine getting sexy abs. >> reporter: and last, but not least at $99, the rhythm rocker. what do you give it? >> a four thanks to the video. i like the instability and versatility. >> lots of fun. you could do both cardio and floor on it. i like that combination. >> and great video. >> reporter: but in the end, each trainer agreed, whatever product gets you to workup a sweat just might be worth your hard-earned cash. the makers of the ab doer twist tells us it's not an abdominal machine. rather it's a total body aerobic machine. and shake weight representative disagreed with the description of limited. they say it provides a variety of exercises that is performed in one of several six-minute routines, savannah. whatever gets you up and doing something -- >> i was going to say, janice,

maybe you should test this equipment for how well it holds your dry cleaning. don't we end up throwing our clothes on it? >> people have collections of these in the basement. you know what? if it gets you moving, it's better than sitting and watching tv, eating popcorn, watching them do the exercises on tv. >> grab the shake weight or -- >> whatever! >> janice, thank you. we're going to face off on the court. lester holt, we're coming for you. first, these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] savor a sip of a real fruit smoothie from mccafé! ♪ like the flavorful fusion of mango/pineapple... ♪ ...bursting with fresh flavors and blended with creamy low-fat yogurt. the simple joy of exhilarating refreshment. ♪

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did i ever think i would have heart disease. she just didn't fit the profile of a heart event victim. she's healthy, she eats properly. i was pushing my two kids in a stroller when i had my heart event. i've been on a bayer aspirin regimen ever since. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone. so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i know if i take my bayer aspirin i have a better chance of living a healthy life. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am proheart on facebook. "today's" summer saturdays. we're taking the last few minutes of this show on saturdays to do something fun. since savannah is our guest, she got to choose the activity. i'm guessing it's tennis. >> i love tennis. >> which i never played in my life. >> whatever, lester. listen, i'm going to go easy on you. courtney and i are only going to kill it a little bit. >> just a little. >> we're going to play a little

doubles here? >> we're going to rally a little bit. i went to tennis camp every summer. it doesn't really show, but -- >> give me one piece of advice. >> don't hold your racket like a baseball bat like i saw you doing in the tease. hold it. give it a nice circle and follow through. always follow through. >> follow through, all right. >> all right. here we go. >> ready? okay, lester! oh, great. hate to see that happen. go for it. >> yeah. >> oh, that was in! that was in. >> all right. savannah? >> do a little more of that. >> i know. i was trying to -- >> good one. good one. >> what was with all this talk? >> i don't know. i'm falling apart. >> that's it, lester. slam it! >> oh, wow! feels like a racketball. >> here we go. >> i can't believe after all

that trash talking. >> i didn't do that. >> okay. here we go. >> we weren't communicating. >> that was bad. >> there you go, bill. oh, there. ooh! >> nice job, courtney. >> you go. >> let me pitch. he wants to pitch. okay, i'm going to pitch. >> all right. guys, we have to work on our terminology. there we go. >> setting you up, savannah. >> okay. >> i got it. >> oh, nice shot, court! >> yes! >> come on, courtney, kill it! >> i got it. >> oh, shoot. >> bill, thanks for being here, savannah. >> oh, lester! >> get this one. >> oh, okay! we'll have to practice all day, guys. >> that will do it for us.

that will do it for my tennis career. thank you for being here on saturday. >> you look great, though. >> we'll see you tonight for nightly. >> see you tonight nor "nbc nightly news." >> see you tonight nor "nbc nightly news." one more. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we need to look for a new van. yeah. i just don't know where to start. glad you found us. start by test-driving nearly every make and model, all in one place. carmax. start here. hi, everyone. good morning. i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie goff. straight ahead on news 4 today.

>> i just started blowing. the rain started coming down and it looked like a tornado. >> storm damage all around the d.c. region. high winds hit hard in bladensburg. coming up on news 4. and jerry sandusky guilty. hear from a juror reacting after the former football coach was convicted of sexually abusing children, plus a criminal defense attorney in our studio to discuss this case. heads up. the road work bound to cause congestion all weekend. i'm meteorologist chuck bell. the sun is shining now. but do you get to keep it? i'll have a complete check of the forecast. all that and more is straight ahead.

everyone, good morning. i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie goff. welcome in to news 4 today. it's saturday, june 23rd, 2012. right now thousands are waking up to dark, hot homes after losing power in those strong storms that came through overnight. at one point close to 50,000 were without power. >> pepco customers are the hardest hit at 19,000 still without power. most are in prince jornls county and the district bot